My Space Jam Story

A lot of people have fond memories of Space Jam. I'm one of 'em! I just posted this story on my Twitter feed, and I figured I'd share it with you guys. It's kind of special, and I love being a storyteller. So it works! Just roll with it.

This is my aunt. Her name is June. She's my mom's sister. Back in the 90's she was a member of the hollywood screen actors guild. Her apartment was less than 10 miles from the Hollywood sign.

One year, right around christmas time, she announced that she landed a really awesome gig! It was this little movie called Space Jam, and it had a lot of basketball players involved. Big names, too! So, of course, being the excited kid I was, I was super stoked for this. Naturally, I told everyone in school that my aunt was in the movie. You would, too! And then the movie drops, and there she is! She shouted, "ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MORON MOUNTAIN!"

And I was so excited. I knew the person who said that line!

Well, I found out that there was more to the story as I grew older. Turns out, she spent quite a bit of time with Michael Jordan. The voice recording studio was situated very close to the motion capture studio. So when she wasn't recording, she would spend time wandering around the Warner Movie Lot. Just like an animaniac. Yes, I went there. Anyway, they had a director's chair outside the mocap studio reserved for Jordan. When he wasn't doing his job, he was hanging out over there. And she sat down on the blacktop and listened to the conversations he had. She said he was the chillest guy you'd ever meet. Real down to earth, real cool, and genuinely a decent person. Which, when it comes to celebrity, that's a huge deal! Too many of them are pricks...

Fast forward a bit, and the production and post-production have wrapped. It's customary to have a party when the movie is done and shipped. And at that party, Jordan was signing autographs. This is the Summer of 1996. Anyone who knows 90's sports knows MJ didn't sign autographs often. But here he was, signing for the whole cast and crew if they wanted it! This was a big deal then, and it's still a big deal now. People brought basketballs, shoes, jerseys, you name it. June didn't have anything like that, but she had a baseball cap she bought from the WB gift shop.

Guess what she sent me for my birthday next year?

Oh, you know it!

It reads, "Best swishes, Michael J."

And when I received that cap, it was the summer of 1997. Jordan had just won his third championship ring. He was at the top of his game, and I had his autograph! I felt like the luckiest kid in the world at the time. I have a family connection to a big name celebrity!

It sat in my closet during my formative years, and now it sits on my shelf. I really should get a case for it, it's getting dusty and needs a good cleaning. But at the same time, I don't want to damage the autograph. The other downside is that I don't have any certificate of authenticity. But, the story and the personalized nature of how my aunt came to acquire the autograph more than makes up for it, in my opinion.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is my space jam story. If you like this story, mash that upvote button and let me know I done good.